Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Different Types Of Hoof Boots

By Faith Lynch


A hoof boot is solely a protective covering worn by horses to protect their hooves from damage caused by different factors such as rocks or hard surfaces. These boots are used as alternatives to the popular horse shoes, temporary alternatives or as added supplements to the horse shoe. Most hoof boots are generally rubber or plastic made and come in a range of different types and designs to accommodate their various functions.

The major use of hoofs boots is protection of the hooves from various harmful constraints. They are however employed in a variety of different veterinary or medical applications. This is mainly in treating wounded hooves and the underlying soles. Medicine applied is covered by the boot to ensure the healing process and also promote the cleanliness of the wound.

They can also be used as a substitute for the horse shoe or a temporary replacement in case one is lost when riding. These boots come in a variety of different types and designs to cater for the different functions they can be used in. This article looks to examine the various types of hoofs boots available for a variety of different functions.

The first type is the general hoof boot which is used as a protective covering for the hooves. It is usually used as a substitute for the horse shoe or as additional protection to supplement the horseshoe. Another type is the knee boot which covers the knee fronts to protect the animal in case it falls or gets knocked when in transit.

A brushing boot is a covering for the lower leg to protect the leg from injury to its inner part that may result from being hit by the opposite foot. This purpose is also fulfilled by the fetlock boot type whose only difference with the form is that it protects a rather smaller area. An even smaller type that shares the same function is the fetlock ring.

A tendon boot is the preferred option when it comes to protecting the horse from hurting tendons in its front feet through knocking by the hind feet. Most tendon boots have one padded side with the front part open in line with their application. This type is thus fitted to the on the front feet while taking care to setting the padded side at the back of the feet.

Another common boot type is the over reach boot that is used to protect the hooves and the pastern. It is usually worn only on the front hooves to protect them from being struck by the back hooves thus the name over reach. They also protect the legs from being knocked by the opposite hoof and are made in a bell like shape.

Horses used for sports especially polo are usually covered with coronet boot. These hoof boots are almost the same to the over reach but cover the entire foot plus the hind feet. Their main function is to protect the sensitive coronet hoofs part from damage caused by being stepped on by another horse.




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